Inking device for laundry marking machines



Nov. 7, 1950 e. PETTY 2,529,225

INKING DEVICE FOR LAUNDRY MARKING MACHINES Filed June 21, 1947 2 Sheet sSheet l A from/v5). V

Nov.- 7, 1950 G. PET'IIY INKING DEVICE FOR LAUNDRY MARKING MACHINES Filed June 21, 1947 2 Sheecs-Sh'eet 2 I N V EN TOR. Gavzwew: PE 77V.

A 7' TOR/V5 Y Patented Nov. 7, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INKIN G DEVICE FOR LAUNDRY MARKING MACHINES 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a laundry marking machine, more particularly of the type illustrated in Patents Nos. 2,136,461 and 2,157,497. The laundry marking machines illustrated in the said patents employ springs for swinging an inking pad into engagement with type wheels. These springs are so arranged that, during the act of printing, the inking pad will be swung away from the type wheels so as to greatly stretch and tension the springs. This constantly repeated and excessive stretching of the inking pad springs so shortens the life of these springs that constant replacements have been necessary.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a spring tension control device for the inking pad springs of laundry marking machines, which will relieve the tension in the springs when the inking pad is swung to the inoperative position, so as to avoid all unnecessary stretching and tensioning of the springs, thereby greatly increasing the life of the latter.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

Il'l the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the impression and inking portion of a laundry marking machine of the type disclosed in the above patents, illustrating the mechanism at rest;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the impression and inking portion, taken on the line 22, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating the inking pad in the act of inking the type wheels;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section, taken on the line l, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal, vertical section, taken on the line 55, Fig. 2, illustrating the mechanism in position to make a marking impression upon an article.

In the drawing, conventional parts of a laundry marking machine of the type illustrated in the said prior patents are indicated by numerals as follows: base plate it; type wheels ll; type Wheel side plates l2; type wheel supporting arms l3; impression frame it; impression frame pivot i5; impression handle it; impression pad H; lower inking toggle frame 58; upper inking toggle frame [9; connecting link 20; ink pad 2|;

ink pad rollers 22; ink pad roller notches 23; toggle hinge bolt 24.

The operation of the conventional device is as follows: an article to bev stamped or marked is placed over the impression pad H and the handles it are forced toward the type wheels l I. The first movement of the impression arms I4 is to cause the connecting link 29 to force the toggle hinge bolt 24 forwardly. This causes the inking pad 2| to swing into contact with the type wheels H, the rollers 22 entering the notches 23, as shown in Fig. 3.

Further movement of the impression pad .il toward the type wheels breaks the toggle between the toggle arms !8 and i9, causing the rollers to travel downwardly along the side plates l2, as shown in Fig. 5, and allowing the impression pad ll to force the article against the type wheels I I.

Spring means must be provided for urging the toggle arms i8 and l to their extended position and for swinging the ink pad 2| against the type wheels I i. This is. accomplished in this invention by means of a tension spring 25 which extends from a spring arm 26 formed upon the upper toggle frame I9 and a spring lever 21. The spring is attached to the spring arm 26 by means of a spring clip 28 extending at right angles to the spring arm 26.

The spring lever 21 is formed on a bell crank lever, the other lever of which, indicated at 29, extends upwardly at right angles to the lever 21. The bell crank lever 2l29 is mounted on a lever pivot supported in suitable ears 3i from the base iii. A

The lever 29 is connected by means of an adjustable length connecting rod 32. The rod 32 is threaded at its extremities into suitable connecting clevises 3 3 so that its length bar may be varied and be pre-set by means of a lock nut 36. One of the clevises is hingedly mounted on a cross bar 33 extending across the impression frame I4. The other clevis is hingedly connected to the lever 29 by means of a hinge screw 35.

It will be noted that the lever arm between the pivot 36 and the screw 35 is shorter than the len th of the spring lever 27 so that the movements of the lever 29 are multiplied at the lower extremity of the spring. It will also be noted that the distance between the connection of the spring on the clip 28 and the axis of the toggle hinge bolt 22 is shorter than the length of the lever arm 21. Therefore, the lower extremity of the spring moves further upward than the upper extremity thereof.

These relative lengths are very important. They operate as follows: the greatest tension is applied to the spring 25 in Fig. 3, at which time the ink pad is in contact with the type wheels I I. Further movement of the impression frame serves no inking purpose, yet in a conventional machine the tension in the springs continues to increase. In this machine, .however, the connecting rod 32 will swing the lever 29 inwardly, as shown in Fig. 5. In so doing, it will swing the lever 21 upwardly a greater distance than the 'movement of the upper extremity of the spring 25, as can be-seen from Fig. 5. Thus the tension in the spring 25 is decreased instead of increased as the upper toggle frame I9 swings downwardly out of the path of the impression pad 18.

It is this function that the present invention is designed to accomplish so as to prevent unnecessary stretching of the spring 25.

Since the spring 25 in Fig. is tending, through the bell crank lever and the connecting rod 32, to maintain the impression pad I! in contact with the type wheel Ii, other means must be provided for returning the impression arm to the position of Fig. 1. This is accomplished through the mediumof a coil spring 3? which is coiled about the impression arm pivot l5 and connected thereto in any desired manner, such as by means of an attachment screw 38. The other extremity of the spring 31 is hooked, as shown at 39, around the impression frame M. The action of this spring exceeds the action of the spring 25 and returns the impression frame I4 to its original inoperative position of Fig. 1.

Means are provided for holding small tags, such as used by dry cleaners, on the impression pad 11. This comprises a fixed, resilient plate 40 positioned adjacent the impression pad'll. A clamping plate 4| is hinged on a hinge bolt 42 extending across the frame I4 so as to swing against the fixed jaw M! to clamp a tag therebetween. The clamping plate 41 is constantly urged toward the fixed plate 48 by means of a coil spring 43, and may be separated from the fixed plate 40 by actuation of finger tabs 44.

While a specific form of the improvement has I been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is: 1. In a laundry marking machine having a base and an impression frame hingedly mounted on said base for carrying an impression pad forwardly against type wheels, means for inking the type wheels in advance of the contact of said impression pad comprising: a lower lever member hingedly mounted on said base forwardly of said frame; means for transmitting the movements of said impression frame to said lower lever member; an upper lever member hinged to the upper extremity of the lower member and extending upwardly therefrom; an ink pad carried at the upper extremity of the upper lever member to contact the type wheels; a tension spring urging said upper lever member toward said type wheels; and means for relieving the tension in said spring as said impression lever approaches said type wheel.

2. In a laundry marking machine having a base and an impression frame hingedly mounted on said base for carrying an impression pad forwardly against type wheels, means for inking the type wheels in advance of the contact of said impression pad comprising: a lower lever member hingedly mounted on said base forwardly of said frame; means for transmitting the movements of said impression frame to said lower lever member; an upper lever member hinged to the upper extremity of the lower member and extending upwardly therefrom; an ink pad carried at the upper extremity of the upper lever member to contact the type wheels; a spring arm extending forwardly from said upper lever member; a tension spring extending downwardly from said spring arm and acting to urge the upper lever member toward the type wheels; attachment means to which the lower extremity of said spring is secured; and means for moving said attachment means upwardly as said impression arm approaches said type wheels to relieve the tension in said spring.

3. In a laundry marking machine having a base and an impression frame hingedly mounted on said base for carrying an impression pad forwardly against type wheels, means for inking the type wheels in advance of the contact of said impression pad comprising: a lower lever member hingedly mounted on said base forwardly of said frame; means for transmitting the movements of said impression frame to said lower lever member; an upper lever member hinged to the upper extremity of the lower member and extending upwardly therefrom; an ink pad carried at the upper extremity of the upper lever member to contact the type wheels; a spring arm extending forwardly from said upper lever member; a tension spring extending downwardly from said spring arm and acting to urge the upper lever member toward the type wheels; a substantially horizontal spring lever hingedly mounted on said base at its one extremity and being connected to the lower extremity of said spring at its other extremity; and means operable from the movement of said impression frame for swinging said spring lever upwardly as said frame approaches said type wheels to relieve the tension in said spring. H

4. In a laundry marking machine having a base and an impression frame hingedly mounted on said base for carrying an impression pad forwardly against type wheels, means for inking the type wheels in advance of the contact of said impression pad comprising: a lower lever member hingedly mounted on said base forwardly of said frame; means for transmitting the movements of said impression frame to said lower lever member; an upper lever member hinged to the upper extremity of the lower member and extending upwardly therefrom; an ink pad carried at the upper extremity of the upper lever member to contact the type wheels; a spring arm extending forwardly from said upper lever member; a tension spring extending downwardly from said spring arm; a substantially horizontal spring lever hingedly mounted on said base at its one extremity and being connected to the lower extremity of said spring at its other extremity; an actuating lever extending upwardly from the hinge point of said spring lever; a connecting member extending from said actuating lever to said impression frame for communicating the movements of the latter to the former for swinging said spring lever upwardly as said frame approaches said type wheels to relieve the tension in said spring.

GENEVIEVE PETTY.

(References on following page) 5 6 REFERENCES CITED Number Name Date The following references are of record in the 1,436,599 Mathlasen 21: 1922 file of t t t; 1,456,447 Jenner May 22, 1923 m 2,136,461 Petty NOV. 15, 1938 UNILED STATES PATENTE 5 2,251,354 Gettman Aug. 5, 1941 Number Name Date 2,442,094 Petty May 25, 1948 908,847 Dixon Jan. 5, 1909 2,443,939 Wells June 22, 1948 

